Beverage container cap for use with beverage extractor

ABSTRACT

A cap for engagement with a beverage container allows an extractor needle or other conduit to pass through a portion of the cap such that beverage can be removed from the container without removing the cap. The cap may include a septum that is radially and/or axially compressed and a barrier layer arranged to engage with the container to form a seal.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/352,616 filed Jun. 21, 2016, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the dispensing or other extractionof fluids from within a container, e.g., in the dispensing of wine froma wine bottle.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

One or more embodiments in accordance with aspects of the inventionallow a user to withdraw or otherwise extract a beverage, such as wine,from within a bottle that is sealed by a specially arranged cap withoutremoving the cap from the bottle. In some cases, removal of liquid fromsuch a bottle may be performed one or more times, yet the cap may remainin place during and after each beverage extraction to maintain a sealfor the bottle. Thus, the beverage may be dispensed from the bottlemultiple times and stored for extended periods between each extractionwith little or no effect on beverage quality. In some embodiments,little or no gas, such as air, which is reactive with the beverage maybe introduced into the bottle either during or after extraction ofbeverage from within the bottle. Thus, in some embodiments, a user maywithdraw wine from a wine bottle without removal of, or damage to, thecap, and without allowing air or other potentially damaging gasses orliquids entry into the bottle.

In one aspect of the invention, a cap is provided that can be engagedwith a container to both close a container opening and provide theability to extract beverage from the container by passing a needle orother conduit through the cap. For example, some wine bottles are closedby a screw cap made of aluminum or other metal that cannot be pierced bya needle used to extract wine from the bottle. Such a screw cap may beremoved from the bottle and replaced with a cap that incorporatesaspects of the invention, e.g., allows wine extraction without removalof the cap by passing a needle through the replacement cap. In someembodiments, the cap may also be arranged to reseal upon removal of theneedle or other conduit from the cap, e.g., so that leakage of beveragefrom the container and/or leakage of air into the container is preventedafter a needle passed through the cap is removed. Although sometimesreferred to as a replacement cap herein, caps in accordance withinventive embodiments may be engaged with a container to seal thecontainer closed at the time of initial bottling of the beverage.

In one embodiment, a cap includes a body having a lower cavity definedby a sidewall with a thread arranged at an inner side of the sidewall toengage with a threaded neck of a container. That is, the cap may bearranged to be screwed onto the threads of a container neck, such asthose included with wine bottles that have a standard screw cap. Inother embodiments, the replacement cap may engage with an exterior orinterior of a container neck in other ways, such as by a friction fit.The cap may also have an upper cavity in which a septum is located. Theseptum may be compressed in radial and/or axial directions in the uppercavity. A barrier material, such as a laminate material including apolystyrene layer, a PET layer, and a PVDC layer or other set ofmaterials, may be located between upper and lower openings of the bodyand arranged to engage with the container opening to seal the openingclosed. For example, if the cap is threadedly engaged with a container,the barrier material may contact a top surface of the container aroundthe container opening so as to seal the opening in much the same waythat a screw cap seals the opening of a bottle closed. In otherembodiments, a lower portion of the cap body may be inserted into acontainer opening, e.g., in a way similar to a bottle stopper, ratherthan have the cap threadedly engage the container neck. The septum maybe provided in the upper cavity of the body and positioned over thebarrier material. The septum may be arranged so the barrier material isout of contact with the septum, or the barrier material and septum maybe in contact. The septum may include a block of silicone rubber orotherwise be arranged so that a needle can be passed through the septum.The septum may have an exposed upper surface and be compressed by thebody in radial and/or axial directions, e.g., to aid the septum inresealing after penetration by a needle having a diameter of 16 gauge orless. That is, the septum may be arranged to reseal upon the withdrawalof a needle that passes entirely through the septum and the barrierlayer so that a distal end of the needle is positioned inside of acontainer to which the cap is engaged.

In one embodiment, the body includes the sidewall and an annular ringextending inwardly from the sidewall between the barrier layer and theseptum. For example, the barrier layer may be positioned on a bottomsurface of the annular ring such that the barrier layer can besandwiched between the annular ring and the top of a container neck towhich the cap is secured. This may help the barrier layer form a sealwith the container neck. In some embodiments, the body includes an innersidewall that extends upwardly from annular ring and contacts theseptum. For example, the inner sidewall may define the upper cavity inwhich the septum is positioned, and the inner sidewall may radiallycompress the septum. In some cases, a cover having an annular shape mayengage the body at the upper opening, and may have an opening at whichan upper surface of the septum is exposed. In some embodiments, theseptum may be arranged in the body to be positioned outside of acontainer neck with the cap engaged with the container neck.Alternately, the septum may be at least partially positioned within thecontainer neck with the cap engaged with the neck. While in someembodiments the upper cavity may be positioned entirely above the lowercavity, in some cases at least a portion of the upper cavity may bepositioned within the lower cavity and/or at least a portion of thelower cavity may be positioned around the upper cavity.

Various exemplary embodiments of the device are further depicted anddescribed below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the invention are described with reference to variousembodiments, and to the figures, which include:

FIG. 1 shows a cross sectional view of a cap in an illustrativeembodiment arranged to threadedly engage a container neck;

FIG. 2 shows a cross sectional view of a cap in an illustrativeembodiment arranged to have a lower portion inserted into a containeropening;

FIG. 3 shows a cross sectional view of a cap in another illustrativeembodiment in which a portion of the septum is located within the lowercavity;

FIG. 4 shows the FIG. 3 embodiment engaged with a container;

FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of a cap in another illustrativeembodiment including an inner sidewall extending from an annular ring;

FIG. 6 shows a cross sectional view of the cap of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 shows a schematic view of a beverage extraction device inpreparation for introducing a conduit through a closure of a beveragebottle; and

FIG. 8 shows the FIG. 1 embodiment with the conduit passed through theclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the invention are described below with reference toillustrative embodiments, but it should be understood that aspects ofthe invention are not to be construed narrowly in view of the specificembodiments described. Thus, aspects of the invention are not limited tothe embodiments described herein. It should also be understood thatvarious features in different embodiments may be used alone and/or inany suitable combination with each other, and thus various embodimentsshould not be interpreted as requiring any particular combination orcombinations of features. Instead, one or more features of theembodiments described may be combined with any other suitable featuresof other embodiments.

FIG. 1 shows a cross sectional view of a cap in an illustrativeembodiment. The cap 10 of FIG. 1 includes a body 11, which may be madeof a metal, plastic or other suitable material or combination ofmaterials. Generally, the body 11 has a sidewall that may define acylindrical shape and have an upper portion 11 a and a lower portion 11b. The lower portion 11 b of the sidewall may define a lower cavity 15,e.g., for receiving or otherwise engaging a neck of a beveragecontainer. In this embodiment, the sidewall includes an internal thread16 arranged to threadedly engage with a threaded neck of a container,e.g., like a screw cap. However, the body 11 may engage a container inother ways, such as by a friction fit (e.g., the lower cavity 11 b maybe sized to be approximately the same size or slightly smaller than abottle neck so that the body 11 can be forced over the bottle neck), byan adhesive, by crimping, by a clamp, or other. Engagement of the body11 with the container may, or may not be liquid- or air-tight. A barriermaterial 13 may be provided between upper and lower openings of the cap10, and may be arranged to seal the container opening and/or otherwiseprovide a liquid- and/or air-barrier. In this embodiment, the barrierlayer 13 is arranged to engage with the top surface of a container neckwhen the lower portion 11 b is threadedly engaged to the neck andsqueezes the barrier layer 13 into engagement with the lip of thecontainer at the opening. The barrier layer 13 may include a circularsheet of laminate material, such as a laminate material including apolystyrene layer, a PET layer, and a PVDC layer. However, otherarrangements for the barrier layer 13 are possible, such as a sheet ofmetal foil (e.g., aluminum), a polymer/foil laminate (e.g., like thatused to close some food containers), a single layer of plastic material,etc.

The upper portion 11 a may include a septum 12 located in the uppercavity 14 of the body 11. The septum 12 may be arranged to allow aneedle or other conduit to pass through the septum 12 to access aninterior of the container to which the cap 10 is engaged. That is, thebody 11 includes upper and lower openings and defines a passageway fromthe upper to the lower opening, e.g., through which a needle or otherconduit may pass. The septum 12 may include one or more passagewaysthrough which the needle or other conduit may pass, or may include nopassageways or other openings through which the needle or other conduitmay pass. Instead, the needle may form its own opening through theseptum 12 as the needle is forced through the septum 12. In someembodiments, the septum 12 may be arranged to reseal upon withdrawal ofa needle or other conduit from the septum 12, e.g., so that beverage inthe container may be prevented from leaking out and/or so that air orother gas cannot pass through the septum 12 and into the container. Inthe embodiment of FIG. 1, the septum 12 includes a block of elastomericmaterial, such as a silicone rubber, and is compressed radially and/oraxially to aid in resealing of the septum 12. That is, the inventorshave found that compressing the septum 12 in one or two directions(e.g., orthogonal directions) may help the septum 12 reseal upon removalof a needle from the septum 12. To effect radial compression of theseptum 12, the septum 12 may be made to have a diameter that is largerthan the upper cavity 14 so that when the septum 12 is positioned in theupper cavity 14, the sidewall of the body 11 presses inwardly on theseptum 12 from radial directions. To effect axial compression, an uppersection of the sidewall may be bent or crimped over an upper side of theseptum 12 so that the septum 12 is squeezed in a vertical direction, atleast around a periphery of the septum 12, of the septum 12 may be madeto have an axial dimension that is larger than the axial size of theupper cavity 14. In this embodiment, the bent or crimped upper sectionof the sidewall that captures an upper end of the septum 12 defines theupper opening of the body 10 through which a portion of the septum 12may extend or bulge due to compression of the septum 12. Similarly, thisembodiment includes an annular step or shelf 11 c that supports a loweredge of the septum 12 and defines an opening at the body 11 interiorthrough which the septum 12 may bulge. However, in other embodiments,the septum 12 may be completely contained at upper and lower sides,e.g., by a wall or other element that prevents bulging of the septum 12.The annular step, shelf or ring 11 c may also support an upper side ofthe barrier layer 13, helping to press the barrier layer 13 to an topsurface of a container when the cap 10 is engaged with the container.Thus, the barrier layer 13 may be sandwiched between the step or shelf11 c and the top surface of the container.

During use of the cap 10 with a beverage extractor (which is describedin more detail below), a needle may be inserted through the septum 12from an upper side or surface of the septum 12, through a bottom side orsurface of the septum 12 and then through the barrier layer 13 so thatthe needle is passed into the opening of the container to which the cap10 is engaged. This may allow pressurized gas to be injected into thecontainer, as well as delivery of beverage from the container via theneedle. Both the septum 12 and the barrier layer 13 may be arranged toreseal upon withdrawal of the needle, or only one of the septum 12 orbarrier layer 13 may reseal, or neither may reseal with needlewithdrawal.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of a cap 10 that is similar to that inFIG. 1, except that a lower portion 11 b of the body 11 is arranged tobe inserted into an opening of a container, e.g., like a stopper orcork, as opposed to engaging around an outside of the container neck.The lower portion 11 b may be made of any suitable size and/or shape,e.g., to engage the interior of a container opening by a friction fit,threaded engagement, etc. For example, the lower portion 11 b may beformed of a metal or plastic that is covered at least in part by anelastomeric material to provide suitable engagement and liquid andair-tight seal with the container opening. A barrier layer 13 may beprovided in an upper cavity 14 beneath the septum 12. In thisembodiment, the barrier layer 13 is in contact with the septum 12, asopposed to the FIG. 1 embodiment where the barrier layer 13 is out ofcontact with the septum 12. Also, the septum 12 in this embodiment isarranged to be positioned outside of a container with the cap 10 engagedwith the container, although other embodiments are possible where theseptum 12 is at least partially positioned in the container as discussedbelow.

This embodiment also includes identification indicia 17 configured touniquely identify the cap 10 from other caps, and thus possibly acontainer to which the cap 10 is engaged from other containers. Theidentification indicia may include an RFID tag, a barcode, alphanumerictext, a color code, a set of physical features (e.g., similar to Braillecharacters or other indicia), or any other suitable configuration toallow the cap 10 to be identified either by an automated reader and/or auser. The identification indicia 17 may be used in a variety of ways,such as to identify a particular container, identify a particular cap10, to associate information with the cap 10 (e.g., a user may associatea particular bottle of wine with the cap 10 and track when the bottlewas first accessed, how much wine remains in the bottle, how many timesthe bottle has been accessed, and so on). In case that the cap 10 isreused with a different container, a new set of information may beassociated with the cap 10, including a new type of wine, informationabout the wine (such as vintage, winery, etc.), images of the wine beingmade, a winery logo, etc. information associated with the cap 10 via theidentification indicia 17 may be presented to a user in various ways,such as displaying information on a reader of the indicia 17 (e.g., asmartphone equipped with a barcode reader may read barcode indicia 17 onthe cap 10, and then display information related to the wine to the useron the smartphone).

FIG. 3 shows another illustrative embodiment of a cap 10 that includesfeatures like that in FIGS. 1 and 2. In this embodiment, the lowercavity 15 has an annular shape and is arranged to extend around at leasta portion of the upper cavity 14 that receives a septum 12, e.g., sothat the septum 12 and/or the upper cavity 14 is at least partiallypositioned in the lower cavity 15. Although in this embodiment the uppercavity 14 has a cylindrical shape without a shelf or step 11 c or uppersidewall portion to compress the septum 12, such features may be used.Also, the inner sidewall 11 d that defines the upper cavity 14 mayinclude one or more barbs or other features on its inner surface to helphold the septum in place in the upper cavity 14. Thus, the septum 12 maybe compressed in axial and/or radial directions in the upper cavity 14.The outer sidewall 11 e of the body 11 may include a thread 16 on itsinner surface to engage with a bottle top, e.g., as shown in FIG. 4, ormay include other features, such as to engage a bottle by friction fit,interference, adhesive, etc. Also, the body 11 may have any suitablethread size or arrangement, and the lower cavity 15 may have anysuitable diameter or other size to engage with a container neck. Abarrier layer 13 may be provided in annular shape to engage thecontainer top edge, e.g., when the body 11 is threaded onto the bottleneck, to establish a seal with the container. In some embodiments, thebarrier layer 13 may have an inverted “top hat” type shape so that a“brim” of the “top hat” engages the bottle top edge like the annularelement in FIG. 3, and the central portion of the “top hat” receives theinner sidewall 11 d and septum 12. In this way, the barrier layer 13 mayprovide a continuous barrier across the opening of the bottle. In thisembodiment, a needle of an extraction device may penetrate the portionof the barrier layer 13 positioned below the septum 12.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show another illustrative embodiment of a cap 10. In thisarrangement, the cap 10 includes an annular step or ring 11 c thatextends inwardly from the outer sidewall 11 e of the cap 10. Similar tothe FIG. 1 embodiment, a barrier layer 13 is positioned below theannular ring 11 c, e.g., so that the ring 11 c can press the barrierlayer 13 into contact with a top surface of a container to which the cap10 is engaged. In other arrangements, the barrier layer 13 may bepositioned within an opening defined by the ring 11 c or above the ring11 c. An inner sidewall 11 d extends upwardly from the ring 11 c anddefines an upper cavity 14 in which a septum 12 is positioned. The innersidewall 11 d may be spaced radially inwardly from the outer sidewall 11e, e.g., to define an annular space between the inner and outersidewalls. A cover 18 is positioned at an upper end of the cap 10, andengages with the outer sidewall 11 e, e.g., with an interference fit bysnapping a ring feature on the cover 18 into a corresponding groove atan inner surface of the outer sidewall 11 e. The cover 18 includes anopening, e.g., that exposes an upper surface of the septum 14, althoughthe cover 18 may obscure the septum 12 and be made piercable by a needleor other conduit, at least near a center area of the cover 18. In otherembodiments, the inner sidewall 11 d could extend downwardly from thecover 18, or from a portion of the body 11, such as where the cover 18is made integrally with the outer sidewall 11 e. As with otherembodiments, the septum 12 may be compressed radially and/or axially bythe inner sidewall 11 d, the ring 11 c and/or the cover 18. With thebarrier layer 13 positioned below the ring 11 c, the barrier layer 13may be out of contact with the septum 12, although if positioned abovethe ring 11 c or within an opening defined by the ring 11 c, the barrierlayer 13 may contact the septum 12.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show schematic views of one embodiment of a beverageextraction device (or extractor) 1 used to extract beverage from acontainer that has a cap 10 like that in FIGS. 1, 2 or 5/6 engaged withthe container. Generally, the device 1 is used to insert a needle orother conduit through the cap 10 and into a beverage container 700,inject gas into the container 700 via the conduit, and dispense beverageforced out of the container 700 by the injected gas or other pressure inthe container. This illustrative device 1 includes a body 3 with anattached source of pressurized gas 100 (such as a compressed gascylinder) that provides gas under pressure (e.g., 2600 psi or less asdispensed from the cylinder) to a regulator 600. In this arrangement,the cylinder 100 is secured to the body 3 and regulator 600 by athreaded connection, although other configurations are possible, such asthose described below and/or in U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,209; U.S. Pat. No.5,020,395; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,909 which are hereby incorporated byreference with respect to their teachings regarding mechanisms forengaging a gas cylinder with a cylinder receiver. The regulator 600 isshown schematically and without detail, but can be any of a variety ofcommercially available or other single or multi-stage pressureregulators capable of regulating gas pressures to a pre-set or variableoutlet pressure. The main function of the regulator 600 is to providegas at a pressure and flow rate suitable for delivery to the container700 (such as a wine bottle), e.g., so that a pressure established insidethe container 700 does not exceed a desired level, e.g., 20-50 psi. Inother embodiments, no pressure regulation of the gas released from thecylinder 100 need be done, and instead, unregulated gas pressure may bedelivered to the container 700.

In this embodiment, the body 3 also includes at least one valve tocontrol the flow of gas and/or a flow of beverage from the container700. In this embodiment, a gas control valve 36 is provided to controlthe flow of gas from the gas source 100 to a conduit in fluidcommunication with the interior of the container 700, and a beveragecontrol valve 37 to control the flow of beverage from the container 700to a dispensing outlet 38. However, other arrangements are possible,e.g., a single valve may control the flow of both gas and beverage(e.g., using a three-way valve), a single valve may be used to controlgas flow only (e.g., a beverage flow conduit may be always open from thecontainer interior to the dispensing outlet and beverage may flowthrough the beverage flow conduit as gas is introduced into thecontainer), or a single valve may be used to control beverage flow only(e.g., gas flow from the gas source 100 to the container 700 may bealways open with the device 1 engaged with a container 700 and beverageflow may be controlled by opening/closing a beverage control valveonly). One or both valves 36, 37 may be controlled by a controller 34,i.e., control circuitry. For example, the controller 34 may detect whenthe device 1 is engaged with a container 700, such as by detecting thatthe needle has been inserted through a septum 12 of a cap 10 or that aclamp of the device 1 is engaged with a container neck, and then controlthe valves accordingly. The valves may be manually operable by a user,and/or a user may provide input to the controller 34 to cause the valvesto open and/or close. As another option, operation of the valves may betied together, whether mechanically or via electronic control, e.g., sothat when one valve is opened, the other valve is closed, and viceversa.

To introduce gas into the container 700 and extract beverage, at leastone conduit is put in fluid communication with the interior of thecontainer 700. In this embodiment, a needle 200 attached to the body 3is inserted through the cap 10 that seals an opening at a neck of thecontainer 700, as shown in FIG. 6. In this illustrative device 1, theneedle 200 includes one or two lumens or conduits with a needle opening220 along a sidewall of the needle near the needle tip. While the needle200 may be inserted into and through the cap 10 in different ways, inthis embodiment, the device 1 includes a base 2 with a pair of channels21 that receive and guide movement of respective rails 31 of the body 3.Thus, movement of the body 3 and attached needle 200 relative to the cap10 may be guided by the base 2, e.g., the body 3 may slide relative tothe base 2 to move the needle 200 into/out of the cap 10. In addition,movement of the needle 200 may be guided by a needle guide 202 that isattached to the base 2 and positioned over the cap 10. To insert theneedle 200 through the cap 10, a user may push downwardly on the body 3while maintaining the base 2 and the container 700 at least somewhatstationary relative to each other. The needle 200 will pass through thecap 10, guided in its motion, at least in part, by the guided motion ofthe body 3 relative to the base 2 (e.g., by the rails 31 and channels21). With the needle 200 suitably inserted as shown in FIG. 4, a needleopening 220 at the needle tip may be positioned below the cap 10 andwithin the enclosed space of the container 700. This allows fluidcommunication between the interior of the container 700 and one or moreconduits of the needle 200.

Other arrangements for guiding movement of the body 3 relative to thebase 2 are possible, such as providing one or more rails on the base 2which engage with a channel or other receiver of the body 3, providingan elongated slot, channel or groove on the body or base which engageswith a corresponding feature (e.g., a tab) on the other of the body orbase and allows for sliding movement, a linkage that connects the bodyand base together and allows for movement of the body to insert theneedle into the closure, and others.

In embodiments where a needle 200 includes one lumen or conduit, thevalves 36, 37 may be controlled to alternately provide pressurized gasinto the container 700 and allow beverage to flow from the container700. For example, gas may first be introduced into the container 700 viathe single conduit to establish a pressurized condition in the container700, and then pressurized beverage may be permitted to flow out of thesingle conduit to the dispensing outlet. Where the needle 200 includestwo lumens or conduits (or two or more needles are used), one or moreconduits may be dedicated to gas flow into the container and one or moreother conduits may be dedicated to beverage flow. Thus, the gas controlvalve 36 may control gas flow into the gas conduit(s), and the beveragecontrol valve 37 may control beverage flow from the beverage conduit(s).Alternately, only one of the valves 36, 37 need be provided to controlbeverage flow, e.g., the gas control valve 36 may be opened/closed andbeverage may flow out of the container and to the dispensing outlet 38via a dedicated, always open beverage conduit depending on pressure inthe container.

It has been found that needles having a smooth walled exterior, pencilpoint or Huber point needle of 16 gauge or higher are effective topenetrate through a cap 10, while sealing effectively with the cap toprevent the ingress or egress of gases or fluids during beverageextraction. Moreover, such needles allow the cap to reseal afterwithdrawal of the needle, allowing the bottle and any remaining beverageto be stored for months or years without abnormal alteration of thebeverage flavor. Further, such needles may be used to penetrate a foilcover or other wrapping commonly found on wine bottles and otherbottles. Thus, the needle may penetrate the foil cover or other elementas well as the closure, eliminating any need to remove the foil or otherwrapping prior to beverage extraction. Other needle profiles and gaugesare also usable with the system.

While in the above embodiments the needle guide 202 and needle arepositioned to have the needle penetrate the center of the cap 10, thelower opening or through hole of the guide 202 could be arranged tointroduce the needle at a location offset from the center of cap 10.This may decrease the chances that a needle penetrates the cap 10 in asame location if the system 1 is used to dispense beverage from thebottle several times and may allow the cap 10 to better reseal uponneedle withdrawal.

A needle used in a beverage extraction device may be a smooth exteriorwalled, cylindrical needle with a non-coring tip that can be passedthrough a cap without removing material from the septum or barrierlayer. One non-coring tip is a pencil-tip that dilates a passagewaythrough the septum, although deflected-tip and stylet needles have alsobeen found to work properly and could be used in alternativeembodiments. The pencil-tip needle preferably has at least one lumenextending along its length from at least one inlet on the end oppositethe pencil-tip and at least one outlet proximal to the pencil-tip. Asshown above, a needle outlet may be positioned in the side-wall of theneedle at the distal end of the needle, although proximal of the extremeneedle tip.

With the correct needle gauge, it has been found that a passageway (ifany) that remains following removal of the needle from a septumself-seals against egress or ingress of fluids and/or gasses undernormal storage conditions. Thus, a needle may be inserted through a capseptum to extract beverage, and then be removed, allowing the closure toreseal such that beverage and gas passage through the closure isprevented. While multiple needle gauges can work, preferred needlegauges range from 16 to 22 gauge, with an optimal needle gauge in someembodiments being between 17 and 20 gauge. These needles gauges mayoffer optimal fluid flow with minimal pressures inside the bottle whiledoing an acceptably low level of damage to the cap even after repeatedinsertions and extractions.

Multiple needle lengths can be adapted to work properly in variousembodiments, but it has been found that a minimum needle length of about1.5 inches is generally required to pass through standard wine bottlecorks. Needles as long as 9 inches could be employed, but the optimalrange of length for some embodiments has been found to be between 2 and2.6 inches. (Needle length is the length of a needle that is operable topenetrate a closure and/or contact a needle guide for guidance in movingthrough the closure.) The needle may be fluidly connected to the valvedirectly through any standard fitting (e.g. NPT, RPT, Leur,quick-connect or standard thread) or alternatively may be connected tothe valve through an intervening element such as a flexible or rigidtube. When two or more needles are used, the needle lengths may be thesame or different and vary from 0.25 inches to 10 inches. Creatingdistance between the inlet/outlets of the needles can prevent theformation of bubbles.

In some embodiments, a suitable gas pressure is introduced into a bottleto extract beverage from the bottle. For example, with some winebottles, it has been found that a maximum pressure of between around 40and 50 psi may be introduced into the bottle without risking leakage at,or ejection of, the cap, although pressures of between around 15 and 30psi have been found to work well. Thus, a cap 10 may be arranged toengage a container 700 so as to remain engaged with the presence of10-50 psi in the container. These pressures are well tolerated by eventhe weakest of cap-to-bottle seals at the bottle opening without causingcap dislodging or passage of liquid or gas by the cap, and provide forrelatively fast beverage extraction. The lower pressure limit in thebottle during wine extraction for some embodiments has been found to bebetween about 0 and 20 psi. That is, a pressure between about 0 and 20psi has been found needed in a bottle to provide a suitably fastextraction of beverage from the bottle. In one example using a single 17to 20 gauge needle, a pressure of 30 psi was used to establish aninitial pressure in a wine bottle, and rapid wine extraction wasexperienced even as the internal pressure dropped to about 15-20 psi.

The source of pressurized gas can be any of a variety of regulated orunregulated pressurized gas bottles filled with any of a variety ofnon-reactive gasses. In a preferred embodiment, the gas cylindercontains gas at an initial pressure of about 2000-3000 psi. Thispressure has been found to allow the use of a single relatively smallcompressed gas cylinder (e.g., about 3 inches in length and 0.75 inchesin diameter) for the complete extraction of the contents of severalbottles of wine. Multiple gasses have been tested successfully overextended storage periods, and preferably the gas used is non-reactivewith the beverage within the bottle, such as wine, and can serve toprotect the beverage oxidation or other damage. Suitable gases includenitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, helium, neon and others. Mixtures ofgas are also possible. For example, a mixture of argon and anotherlighter gas could blanket wine or other beverage in argon while thelighter gas could occupy volume within the bottle and perhaps reduce theoverall cost of the gas.

In the embodiment above, a single needle with a single lumen is used tointroduce gas into the bottle and extract beverage from the bottle.However, in other embodiments two or more needles may be used, e.g., oneneedle for gas delivery and one needle for beverage extraction. In suchan embodiment, the valve(s) may operate to simultaneously open a flow ofgas to the bottle and open a flow of beverage from the bottle. Theneedles may have the same or different diameters or the same ordifferent length varying from 0.25 to 10 inches. For example, one needledelivering gas could be longer than another that extracts wine from thebottle. Alternately, a two lumen needle may be employed where gastravels in one lumen and beverage travels in the other. Each lumen couldhave a separate entrance and exit, and the exits could be spaced fromeach other within the bottle to prevent circulation of gas.

Control of the system may be performed by any suitable control circuitryof the controller 34, which may include a programmed general purposecomputer and/or other data processing device along with suitablesoftware or other operating instructions, one or more memories(including non-transient storage media that may store software and/orother operating instructions), a power supply for the control circuitryand/or other system components, temperature and liquid level sensors,pressure sensors, RFID interrogation devices or other machine readableindicia readers (such as those used to read and recognize alphanumerictext, barcodes, security inks, etc.), input/output interfaces (e.g.,such as the user interface to display information to a user and/orreceive input from a user), communication buses or other links, adisplay, switches, relays, triacs, motors, mechanical linkages and/oractuators, or other components necessary to perform desired input/outputor other functions.

While aspects of the invention have been shown and described withreference to illustrative embodiments, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be madetherein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed bythe appended claims.

1. A cap for engaging a threaded neck at a container opening, the capcomprising: a body having a lower cavity and an upper cavity that definea passageway from an upper opening to a lower opening of the body, thelower cavity defined by a sidewall with a thread arranged at an innerside of the sidewall to engage with the threaded neck; a barriermaterial arranged in the passageway between the upper and lower openingsto engage with the container opening to seal the opening closed; and aseptum in the upper cavity of the body and positioned above the barriermaterial, the septum having an upper surface at the upper opening andbeing compressed by the body in radial and/or axial directions, theseptum and the barrier material being arranged to be pierced by a needleextended from the upper opening toward the lower opening, the septumarranged to reseal after withdrawal of a needle that penetrates throughthe septum.
 2. The cap of claim 1, wherein the septum includes a blockof silicone rubber.
 3. The cap of claim 1, wherein the body includes thesidewall and an annular ring extending inwardly from the sidewallbetween the barrier layer and the septum.
 4. The cap of claim 3, whereinthe body includes an inner sidewall that extends upwardly from annularring and contacts the septum.
 5. The cap of claim 4, further comprisinga cover that has an annular shape and engages the body at the upperopening.
 6. The cap of claim 4, wherein the barrier layer is locatedbelow the annular ring.
 7. The cap of claim 4, wherein the septum iscompressed in the radial direction by the inner sidewall.
 8. The cap ofclaim 1, wherein the septum is arranged to reseal after penetration by aneedle having a diameter equal to 16 gauge or less.
 9. The cap of claim1, wherein the septum is arranged in the body to be positioned outsideof a container neck with the cap engaged with the container neck. 10.The cap of claim 1, wherein the barrier layer is located in the lowercavity.
 11. The cap of claim 1, wherein the barrier layer is arranged toengage a top edge of a container neck to which the cap is attached. 12.The cap of claim 1, wherein the barrier layer includes a circular sheetof laminate material.
 13. The cap of claim 12, wherein the laminatematerial includes a polystyrene layer, a PET layer, and a PVDC layer.14. The cap of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the upper cavityis positioned within the lower cavity.
 15. The cap of claim 1, whereinat least a portion of the lower cavity is positioned around the uppercavity.
 16. The cap of claim 1, further comprising identificationindicia configured to uniquely identify the cap from other caps.
 17. Thecap of claim 16, wherein the identification indicia includes an RFIDtag.
 18. A cap for engaging a threaded neck at a container opening, thecap comprising: a body having a lower cavity and an upper cavity thatdefine a passageway from an upper opening to a lower opening of thebody, the lower cavity defined by a sidewall and arranged to engage withthe threaded neck; a barrier material arranged in the passageway betweenthe upper and lower openings to engage with the container opening toseal the opening closed; and a septum in the upper cavity of the body,the septum having an upper surface at the upper opening and beingcompressed by the body in radial and/or axial directions, the septumbeing arranged to be pierced by a needle extended from the upper openingtoward the lower opening, the septum arranged to reseal after withdrawalof a needle that penetrates through the septum.
 19. The cap of claim 18,wherein the barrier material is out of contact with the septum.
 20. Thecap of claim 18, wherein the septum is positioned above the barriermaterial, and the barrier material is arranged to be pierced by theneedle extended from the upper opening toward the lower opening.
 21. Thecap of claim 18, wherein the septum includes a block of silicone rubber.22. The cap of claim 18, wherein the body includes the sidewall and anannular ring extending inwardly from the sidewall between the barrierlayer and the septum.
 23. The cap of claim 22, wherein the body includesan inner sidewall that extends upwardly from annular ring and contactsthe septum.
 24. The cap of claim 23, further comprising a cover that hasan annular shape and engages the body at the upper opening.
 25. The capof claim 23, wherein the barrier layer is located below the annularring.
 26. The cap of claim 23, wherein the septum is compressed in theradial direction by the inner sidewall.
 27. The cap of claim 18, whereinthe septum is arranged to reseal after penetration by a needle having adiameter equal to 16 gauge or less.
 28. The cap of claim 18, wherein theseptum is arranged in the body to be positioned outside of a containerneck with the cap engaged with the container neck.
 29. The cap of claim18, wherein the barrier layer is located in the lower cavity.
 30. Thecap of claim 18, wherein the barrier layer is arranged to engage a topedge of a container neck to which the cap is attached.
 31. The cap ofclaim 18, wherein at least a portion of the upper cavity is positionedwithin the lower cavity.
 32. The cap of claim 18, wherein at least aportion of the lower cavity is positioned around the upper cavity.